Buchholz still not ready; Red Sox sorting through SP candidates

BALTIMORE -- Clay Buchholz will not start on Tuesday, and it now appears probable that the right-hander will spend time on the disabled list because of the lingering pain on the right side of his neck.

Comment

By
Tim Britton
Posted Jun. 15, 2013 @ 2:19 pm

BALTIMORE -- Clay Buchholz will not start on Tuesday, and it now appears probable that the right-hander will spend time on the disabled list because of the lingering pain on the right side of his neck.

Buchholz threw on flat ground on Saturday, but he did not make enough progress to comfortably throw a bullpen session on Sunday. As such, the Red Sox are not comfortable with sending him out to the mound for a start in Tuesday's doubleheader.

Felix Doubront will start one of the two games in Buchholz's place. Alfredo Aceves and Rubby De La Rosa remain the candidates for the other start.

"It's getting better every day," Buchholz said. "I'm sort of at that point right now where, if I was to get off a mound, I think I would regress. I haven't really cut loose with anything playing catch. I don't want to take a step back."

"The AC joint, that part of what he was experiencing before, that's cleared up," added manager John Farrell. "There's nothing there. It's more in the trap muscle up near the neck, and it's restricted him from greater intensity."

Buchholz hasn't pitched since last Saturday. With Tuesday out of the question and Farrell suggesting Buchholz may not be ready when the Red Sox would require another starter Saturday (because of the doubleheader), it would make sense to place the pitcher on the DL retroactive to June 9. In that scenario, he would be eligible to come off the disabled list a week from Monday.

"We're not going to put him out there until we go through the normal build-up and make sure he's in a safe place physically," Farrell said.

"I'm trying to be as smart as I can with it," said Buchholz. "I hope [the DL] can be avoided, but the team has to do what it needs."

Who starts the other game Tuesday for the Red Sox likely hinges on whether De La Rosa is needed out of the bullpen these next few days. Even though Aceves was sent down this week, he would be eligible to return for the doubleheader as the team's 26th man.

The off-day Monday allows Boston to move up its other starters to pitch on regular rest next week. Still, the Sox would need another starter on Saturday in Detroit. Whoever doesn't start Tuesday between Aceves and De La Rosa would probably be the leading candidate for that start.

Farrell suggested pitchers such as Allen Webster, who made two spot starts earlier in the season, and Anthony Ranaudo, who is tearing up Double-A, aren't candidates just yet.

"We're in a situation where we need performance," Farrell said on Friday. "That's not to say [Webster's] not capable. There might be guys a little bit more ready in the short term."

Ranaudo's turn in the Double-A rotation would be Tuesday. Still, Farrell didn't want to mess with what the right-hander has going in Portland.

"There's guys ahead of him. And even though we have a spot on the [40-man] roster right now, I don't know that we want to force-feed that as well," he said. "One thing is, he's obviously making very good progress this season. The one thing you want to be careful of is, while he's got momentum going, you want to be careful that you don't force-feed it and maybe jump it a little bit too quick."